The descending thoracic aorta morphological characteristics

Our study was conducted by consulting angioCT sites made on a CT GE LightSpeed VCT64 Slice CT and a CT GE LightSpeed 16 Slice CT, following the path and relationships of the descending thoracic aorta against the vertebral column, outside diameters thereof at the thoracic vertebrae T4, T7, T12 and posterior intercostal arteries characteristics. The origin of of the descending thoracic aorta we found most commonly on the left flank of the lower edge of the vertebral body T4, but I have encountered cases where it had come above the lower edge of T4 on level of intervertebral disc T4-T5 or even at the upper edge of T5 vertebral body. At thoracic vertebra T4, on a total of 30 cases, the descending thoracic aorta present a diameter of 20.0 to 32.6 mm, values that correspond to male gender and to females diameter ranging from 25.5 to 27, 4 mm. At level of T7 thoracic vertebra, thoracic aorta present a diameter of 19.6 to 29.5 mm, values found in men, in women the diameter being from 21.9 to 25.2 mm. At thoracic vertebra T12, on a total of 27 cases, the descending thoracic aorta present a diameter of 17.6 to 27.7 mm, in males the diameter was from 17.6 to 27.7 mm and females diameter ranging from 21.1 to 25.2. The length of the descending thoracic aorta was from 18.40 to 19.41 cm.